EVALUATION OF PRODUCTIVITY AND POSTHARVEST QUALITY DURING STORAGE OF FIVE AGARICUS BISPORUS STRAINS

Abstract

ABSTRACT Five Agaricus bisporus commercial strains (S100, A15, F56, F40 and F62) were evaluated as regards their colonization rates, yields, quality characters and storability. Concerning their colonization performance, the mycelial growth rates examined in “race tubes” on sterile compost, as well as earliness in fructification did not differ significantly. Significantly lower was the yield of strain S100 compared to the yield of strains F62 and F56, which presented the greatest cumulative biological efficiency values. However, mushroom number and average weight presented negative relation. For the storage and quality study, mushrooms at the “closed‐cap” stage packaged in 500‐g plastic containers were stored for 5 days at 2C and 5 days at 18C (shelf life). The respiration behavior of the five strains was similar with the mass loss not exceeding 15% during storage at 2C and 40–50% at the end of the shelf life. Also, no differences in the whiteness and texture change were detected and a correlation between the period of pileus diameter increase and the respiration rate was found. According to their color and texture quality assessment, mushrooms deriving from the first four strains may be considered well acceptable at the end of the shelf life, whereas these from strain F62 just saleable.